


Family Introductions: Jensen

by CharlotteEtienne24601



Series: Family Introductions [2]
Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Angst, Biphobia, Bisexuality, Coming Out, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Homophobia, M/M, Polyamory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-19
Updated: 2021-01-14
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:54:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,765
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28178712
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CharlotteEtienne24601/pseuds/CharlotteEtienne24601
Summary: Jensen decides to tell his family about Misha.
Relationships: Jensen Ackles/Danneel Harris, Jensen Ackles/Misha Collins, Misha Collins/Vicki Vantoch
Series: Family Introductions [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2064300
Comments: 14
Kudos: 49





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> There are instances of homophobia and related topics in this fic. Things will be okay, but please take care of yourself if that's a hard subject for you.

Danneel was the first one to seriously broach the subject.

“Hey, Jen?”

“What’s up, love?”

“I think you should tell your parents about Misha.”   
“I’m sorry, what?”

“You two have been together for literal years now, and it’s just...weird that your parents don’t know about such an important person in your life, you know?”

“I mean, they know about him…”

“They know he’s your co-worker who you hang out with sometimes. Don’t you want to be able to talk more openly about him around your family?”

“Danni…”

“We spend a lot of time dancing around the subject and not-saying a whole lot of things, and I just...it would be nice if you told them, is all.”

“They don’t even know I’m bi. How the hell am I supposed to tell them I’m dating someone who’s not my wife? Who’s also  _ a guy _ ?”

“You just tell them that you and I have an arrangement, you have somebody else you’re in love with who loves you back, and I sit there with you and back you up.”

“Danni, they’re going to hate me for this.”

“I think you’re underestimating them. They can be open-minded…”

“You mean like when my dad told me that men didn’t drink from straws?”

Danneel sighed. “Jen, it’s been thirty years since he said that, and that was one time. I think he’s evolved since then. Look, I’m not going to pressure you much on this, but I think you should seriously consider it, and I think it would make Misha really happy.”

“Okay, I’ll think about it.” Jensen sighed. “I just want to stay on good terms with my family.”

“Well, you could start with Josh and Mackenzie and go from there.”

Jensen nodded, considering it. “Yeah, that...that’s a much better idea than telling my parents.”

She laughed. “Hey!”

“You know it’s true.”

“Yeah, I know. Okay, then talk to Misha and make a plan to tell your siblings.”

“Okay, I will. Can we talk about something else now?”

She snuggled close under his arm. “Sure, love. Thanks for hearing me out.”

* * *

Once he was back in Vancouver, Jensen brought the subject back up with Misha.

“Hey, Mish?”

“Hmm?” Misha asked distractedly, scrolling through Twitter.

“Misha.”

Misha looked up. “Yes, love?”

“What would you think of me coming out to my family?”

Misha gave him a soft smile. “Really? I would love that.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” He hesitated. “I’ve never wanted to pressure you, but it would actually mean a lot to me.”

“It would?”

“Of course it would. I want to know the important people in your life, and I want them to know me.”

“I’m sorry, Mish.”

“It’s okay, I know that’s all complicated. Why are you thinking of this now?”

“Danni brought it up. She’s right, but I’m pretty nervous. I thought I would start with my siblings and work up to my parents, if that’s okay with you?”

“That sounds wonderful. Do you want me to be there, or do you want to do it on your own, or what? I’m good with whatever makes the most sense to you.”

Jensen smiled. “I could video call my siblings and have you be there next to me for moral support? I think when I get to my parents, that should be done in person, and we can save a visit for a future time, if...well, you know. If they end up being comfortable enough for that.”

“Sure, babe. Just let me know when you schedule those calls.”


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jensen comes out to his sister, Mackenzie.

Jensen’s sister Mackenzie picked up on the second ring. “Hey, Jens! How’s it going?”

Jensen grinned. “Pretty well! You?” They chatted for a few minutes, with Misha sitting on the other end of the couch, out of the frame.

Eventually, Jensen took a deep breath. “Hey, Mac, there was actually something I wanted to tell you. Or, well, a couple somethings.”

She raised her eyebrows. “Yeah?”

“So first of all, I’m bisexual.”

She blinked. “Wait, is this news?”

“Um…” he looked lost. Misha laughed silently on the other end of the couch.

“I’ve known you our entire lives, Jens. You’re not exactly subtle.”

“I...fuck.”

“Why, what’s wrong?”

“Do you think Mom and Dad know?”

She shook her head. “Nah, that’s not really the kind of thing that would occur to them, I don’t think, especially since you’ve never come out and asked them to deal with it.”

He sighed in relief. “Okay. Okay, that’s good to know.”

She smiled. “Is that all you wanted to tell me? I hope you didn’t get yourself all nervous about that. You know I love you and I don’t care about any of that.”

He paused. “No, there’s something bigger.”

“Okay?”

“So, um. Danneel and I have a bit of an unconventional marriage.” He hesitated.

She grinned. “Are you fucking Misha Collins? Or maybe Jared? It’s hard to tell.”

He stared. “What.”

“Is that what you were going to tell me? That you have a boyfriend or something?”

“Uh. Yeah, actually. It’s not fucking Jared Padalecki, though.” He made a noise of disgust.

“So it  _ is _ Misha. I thought that was more likely.”

“How do you know this?”

“You two are pretty obvious. You can’t keep your hands off each other, and you look at him all gooey.”

“I...no, I don’t!”

Misha laughed. “Yeah, you really do.”

She heard him and gave a shit-eating grin. “Oh, is he there? Put him on camera, I want to talk to him.”

Jensen, still shell-shocked, turned the camera so that he and Misha were both in the frame, as Misha scooted over to be closer to him.

“Hi, Mackenzie. I’m Misha. You seem  _ extremely _ cool. Are you sure you’re Jensen’s sibling?” Jensen smacked him playfully.

“Yeah, I know it’s shocking. I got all the good genes. But no, tell me about you! I want to know everything.”

In the end, they ended up talking for about an hour before Mackenzie had to get off the phone.

After they hung up, Jensen leaned his head back and scrubbed his hands over his face. “Well, that was...unexpected.”   


“Well, if all your comings-out go that easily, you’ll have absolutely nothing to worry about.”

“I started with the easiest first, though. Next is Josh, and I’m not sure that’ll be as straightforward.”

“I am going to resist making a bi joke right now, and I think you should love me for that.”

“I should love you for occasionally not being terrible?”

Misha laughed and swatted at him. “Let me know when you want to do your next call. I hope Josh is as cool about this as Mackenzie.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jensen's brother has a far poorer reaction to Jensen's news than his sister did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's definitely more Struggle in this chapter than in the two previous ones.

“Hey, Jensen. What’s up, man?” Josh greeted him.

“Hey, dude. Not much, just back in Vancouver filming the show, as usual. What’s new with you?” They again chatted for a few minutes before Jensen broached the subject. “So, hey, there was actually a specific reason I called.”

“Okay? What’s up, man?”

Jensen took a deep breath. “So, well, I’m bisexual. That’s the first thing.”

Josh sighed. “Okay. I can’t say I didn’t see this coming, and it’s fine, but just like...do you have to talk about it, man? Can’t you just kind of leave it? You have a wife, no need to complicate things with all that other shit.”

Jensen hesitated. “So that’s the other thing I wanted to talk to you about.”

“What, are you and Danneel breaking up because of  _ that _ ? That’s fucked up, dude.”

“No, no, Danni and I are good. We’re just also...a little less traditional than you might think.”

Josh gave him a hard look. “What are you saying, Jensen?”

“So sometimes we date other people. And, um. I’m pretty serious with the other person I’m dating, and I wanted to tell you about h-him and introduce you, if you’re okay with that.”

Josh sighed. “Man, what the fuck.”

“I...sorry?” Misha discretely took his hand and squeezed it.

“Why would you do this to Danneel? Why can’t you just be happy with her and leave it at that?”

“This was actually her suggestion in the first place. She figured out that I was interested in Misha, and it made her happy to see me happy, so we talked about it and came to an agreement.”

“That’s really, really fucked up. Do you...I mean, what about your kids, man? You can’t just expose them to that shit. What do you do, have orgies or something?”

Jensen actually laughed at that. “No, not at all. But seriously, man, how much do you tell your kids about your relationship with your wife? They know that Uncle Misha is around a lot and that he and Daddy hug, but that’s it. Who the actual fuck do you think I am?”

  
“Man, do whatever you want, I guess, it’s your life, but you should really think of what your kids are going to grow up thinking.”

“They’re going to think that they have adults in their lives who love them and love each other. Isn’t that what your kids think?” Jensen shot back.

“You know it’s different, dude. Our family is just normal, none of your perverted nonsense.”

“Look, I don’t like you implying that I don’t care about my kids. I would never do something that would hurt them.”

“Well look, dude, I can’t stop you from doing whatever you’re gonna do, but I don’t want that shit around my kids, okay? While you’re around them, I need you to pretend to be normal, or you can’t see them. Got it?”

Jensen sighed. “Yeah, okay. Nothing has to change for you, man. I just wanted to let you know about something...some _ one _ ...important in my life.”

“Okay, well, now you’ve gotten that off your chest, are we done here?”

Jensen closed his eyes for a moment. “Yeah, I suppose we are.”

“Alright, I’ll talk to you sometime, man. Tell Danneel and the kids I say hi.”

“Okay. Bye, Josh.”

“Bye, Jensen.” After they hung up, Jensen sighed and leaned his head on Misha’s shoulder. Misha wrapped an arm protectively around him.

“I’m sorry, babe. I know that’s not the way you hoped things would go.”

“No, but I should have known. He’s too conservative to really get on board with...all this.” He gestured between himself and Misha, tearing up.

“At least it’s done now, love. You haven’t lost him, at least. Maybe he’ll come around. Do you want to call Danni and commiserate with her?”

Jensen nodded, letting the tears fall. “Yeah, I...just give me a little time before I do anything, okay?” He turned his head, burying his face in Misha’s chest.


	4. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jensen, accompanied by Danneel, comes out to his parents

Despite the complication with Josh, Jensen was determined to tell his parents the next time he saw them. He planned it for a day when he and Danneel were visiting his parents with the kids. At a certain point near the end of the visit, they settled the kids down playing quietly with some toys and sat down on couches facing each other.

“Hey, Mom, Dad, Danni and I were hoping to talk with you before we go.”

“Of course, son. What’s on your mind?”

Danneel nestled into Jensen’s shoulder, holding the hand that wasn’t around her shoulders, and nodded at him.

“So I wanted to share a part of my life with you that I haven’t been entirely forthcoming about in the past.”

“Oh?” Now they both looked wary.

“First, I just want to say that Danni and I have never been happier and nothing could ever change that.”

Alan narrowed his eyes. “Why are you telling us this?”

Donna put in, “It sounds like we’re not going to like whatever you have to tell us.”

Jensen hesitated. “I’m hoping you’ll be okay with it, I’m just nervous.” He looked to Danneel, who gave him an encouraging look. “Okay, so do you know what polyamory is?” His parents looked blank. “It’s where people have more than one relationship at a time, basically.” He took a deep breath. “And that’s the relationship structure Danni and I decided on a few years ago.”

“You...you’re telling us you...what. Sleep with other women?”

Jensen glanced over at the kids, who were still happily absorbed in playing with their toys. “It’s not about...that. With my other partner, it’s a long-term thing.”

“And it goes both ways. I can date other people, too.” Danneel put in.

“That’s...unconventional,” Donna said slowly. Neither of his parents knew what to make of the information they had just received.

“I know. It works for us, though. And I was hoping I could introduce you to my other partner someday. I think you would get along pretty well, and you’re all important parts of my life.”

Donna hesitated. “Who is this...person?” She asked, seeming to notice his avoidance of pronouns.

“Uh. Well. You know how I’ve talked about Misha Collins? He plays Castiel on the show.”

Alan looked at him warily. “What are you telling us, son?”

“That’s...yeah, that’s him. We’ve been dating for a few years now, and I consider him and his family as being an extension of my own.”

Danneel smiled broadly. “And I do, too. Misha and Vicki are good friends of mine, and their daughter is just a little older than JJ. Hey, JJ?” She called to her oldest child. “What do you think of Maison?”

JJ gave a big smile. “She’s my best friend!”

Danneel turned back to Jensen’s parents, smiling. “So we’ve formed this little family, and we want you to know about that part of our life.”

Jensen’s parents stared mutely for a few moments. “I don’t know what to say.” Donna finally said.

Alan nodded. “Me, either.”

Jensen sighed. “Look, I know this is a lot and it’s going to take some time to absorb. I just wanted to tell you about something that makes me happy. That makes  _ us _ happy.” He and Danneel smiled at each other. “Anyway, we don’t have to talk about this anymore, unless you want to. We’re happy to answer questions or whatever you want.”

“I just have one question, and then we can drop it.” His mom said. “You’re really serious about this? You love him?”

Jensen blushed, smiling and looking down. “Yeah. I really, really do.”

Danneel smiled at him, squeezing his hand. “You’re so cute, love.”

Jensen cleared his throat, looking vaguely embarrassed. “Anyway. Dad, are you still up for watching the Rangers tonight after Danni and the kids go home?”

Alan hesitated. “Sure, son.”

Jensen smiled happily, leaning into Danneel. “Thank you.”


	5. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Misha meets Jensen's parents!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this is what you're hoping it will be! I intend to leave it here, but if there are other things you'd like to read, let me know!

It took them a long time, but the next summer, Jensen’s parents were comfortable enough to ask to meet Misha. Jensen immediately called Misha.

“Hey, Jen! What’s up?” Misha answered.

“You know how you’re coming to visit next month?”

“Yeah…?”

“How would you like to meet my parents when you do?”

Jensen could hear Misha beaming over the phone. “Babe, that’s amazing. Of course I want to meet them!”

“I’m so excited to have you all in one place!”

* * *

“Hey Mish?” Jensen started, shortly before they were due to go over to his parents’ place.

“What’s up, babe?”

“Would you mind...um.”

“What?” Misha looked concerned.

“So I love your wild energy, but like. Would you mind toning it down slightly to meet my parents? Just this first time?”

Misha frowned. “You think they won’t like me as I am?”

“No, not at all, I’m sure they’ll love you. Just...they might get overwhelmed. They’re still working on trying to be cool with this.”

“I’ll try, for your sake. I can’t promise anything, though. I’m not used to hiding who I am.”

Jensen sighed. “I know, and I’m sorry to even ask it. But thank you. Really.”

Misha hugged him. “It’s going to be okay, Jen.”

* * *

This time around, they left the kids with a babysitter so Jensen’s parents could get to know Misha without the chaos of three children running around.

When Jensen’s mom opened the door, she ushered them in. Once they were in the front hall, Jensen spoke up. “Mom, this is Misha Collins. Misha, this is my mom.”

“It’s so nice to meet you, er, ma’am.” Misha fumbled. Jensen and Danneel grinned at him.

“You’ll have to forgive Misha. He’s not a Southerner by any stretch of the imagination.” Danneel spoke up.

“Hey, I tried.” Misha said, blushing. “At any rate, it really is good to meet you, Mrs. Ackles.”

“It’s nice to meet you, too. I’ve heard a lot about you over the years.”

Jensen laughed. “All bad, of course.”

“Nonsense, Jensen.” Donna smiled at Misha. “Come join me in the living room, Misha. We have some appetizers laid out until dinner is ready. Alan!” she called. “They’re here!”

They all moved to the living room, and Alan joined them. He and Misha shook hands, and the five of them sat in awkward silence for a few minutes.

“So, Misha. Um. You met our Jensen on  _ Supernatural _ ?” Donna began.

“Yeah, when I came in in Season Four. Do you watch the show?”

“Oh, of course. Every episode.”

“Oh, wow. That’s way more than my mom does,” he laughed. “It’s not really her thing, but she’s very supportive in other ways. And she’s seen my first several episodes.”

“That’s wonderful. Does she live near you?”

“Oh no, not at all. I live in Bellingham, Washington, and she’s out near Boston.” He shrugged. “It’s not ideal by a long shot, but we love Bellingham.”

“And can I ask how you got your name? Misha is a very Russian name to go with the name Collins.”

Misha laughed. “So my given name is Dmitri Krushnic.”

“Ah.” Alan laughed. “That makes a lot more sense. Are your parents from Russia, then?”

“Nope. My mom’s actually not Russian at all.”

“So...Dmitri?”

Misha and Jensen laughed. “She dated a guy in college who went by Misha. She thought that Misha was the diminutive of Dmitri, and she liked the name, so...here I am.”

“You’re named after your mother’s ex?”

“Ha. No, she just likes Russian names. My brother’s name is Sasha, so...same kind of thing.” He laughed. “She’s a character.”

Jensen smiled at him, placing his hand on his knee. “Well, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”

Misha laughed. “Yeah, you’re not wrong. Anyway, that’s the story of my name. I should be Mikhail or Mitya, but my mom doesn’t know Russian, so here we are.” There was a moment of quiet. “So, have you all lived in Dallas long?”

“Born and raised!” Alan declared. “Just like Jensen.”

“That’s really cool. I grew up moving around a fair bit, so it’s neat to hear about other people’s childhoods.”

They chatted for a few more minutes, and then Donna excused herself to go to the kitchen and take the food out of the oven, then ushered them into the dining room for dinner. Once they were all settled and had been eating for a few minutes, Donna started another conversation.

“So Misha, Jensen and Danneel mentioned that you have kids?”

Misha smiled happily. “Yeah. My wife Vicki and I have two kids, West and Maison. Mai is a year older than JJ, and then West is two years older than her. Our girls really like spending time together when they can, although the distance makes that harder.”

“Do you not end up seeing each other very often, then?”

“Oh, Jensen and I visit each other a few times each during the summer, plus conventions, but it’s more complicated to travel with the kids, so that doesn’t happen as often.”

“I certainly remember those days,” Donna said fondly. “Traveling with three kids was always an adventure. I could tell you stories about Jensen and his siblings…”

Jensen made an expression of mock-horror. “Mom, no, he doesn’t need to hear that. Please, please spare us.”

Donna laughed. “I will for now, because I want to know more about you, Misha. What does your wife do?”

“Oh, she’s an author. She’s a total history geek, and that’s what she got her PhD in, and she’s done research on, uh. Various topics.” He hesitated. “Her more recent book is about flight attendants.”   


“Wow, that sounds really interesting. The history of that profession, I’m assuming?”

Misha nodded. “Yeah, and how stewardesses were treated when they first came about, things like that.”

“I’ll have to pick up a copy!” Donna said excitedly.

“So what’s the other book?” Alan chimed in.

“Um.” Misha looked to Jensen.

Danneel wore a shit-eating grin. “Yes Mish, tell us about your wife’s early work.”

Misha blushed, flustered. “Well, it’s maybe not a topic for right now…”

“Well, you can’t not tell us  _ now _ , with an intro like that.” Alan said.

“It’s about...well, a particular branch of non-monogamy. Um, specifically threesomes and triads, which are relationships where all three of the people are dating each other. Like a couple, but with three people.”

“Ah.” Alan looked like he was sorry he asked.

Donna was curious. “Is it about, um, your life together?”

Misha nodded. “Somewhat. She also did a lot of historical research and talked with various people to get, uh...a fuller picture than we necessarily had at the time.”

“Alright, so. Uh, Misha,” said Alan, deeply uncomfortable and casting around for another subject. “Are you a sports fan, by any chance?”

“Not really, no. I do a lot of biking, though…” And he was off on another topic. They spent the rest of the evening talking about a variety of topics, but tried to keep things light and away from awkward subjects.

At the end of the night, Donna hugged Misha goodbye, along with her son and daughter-in-law. “Thank you for coming over, Misha. I’m glad we got the chance to meet. I can see that Jensen is over the moon about you, and I appreciate you for that, even if I don’t fully get this whole...thing you all have going on.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Ackles. It was a pleasure meeting you, too.”

Alan shook Misha’s hand and clapped him on the shoulder. “It was nice to meet you.”

Misha smiled. “You too, Mr. Ackles.”

Once the three of them were in the car, they all breathed a sigh of relief.   
“I think that went really well!” Misha exclaimed. “I was nervous, but your parents are perfectly nice people, Jen.”

“Yeah, I’m pretty happy with that. I think my mom really liked you and my dad will come around.”

The three of them drove home, feeling accomplished.


End file.
